


Safe Names

by troubledsouls



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 14:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5051368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/troubledsouls/pseuds/troubledsouls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>james doesn't understand why phil doesn't like his first name, but he doesn't ask about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe Names

phil doesn't like that his best friend's name is dan.

dan is not a Safe Name. 

so phil calls him james. 

james is a Safe Name. 

james doesn't understand why phil doesn't like his first name, but he doesn't ask about it. 

phil likes him for that. 

phil likes to talk to james about his stories, bands he likes, basically anything. james always listens. 

phil wonders if he should tell james about the boy named Dan. 

phil decides against it. 

=====

tyler is phil's other friend. 

tyler likes to talk to phil, rather than listen. 

tyler is the one who Saved phil. 

"you should tell james." tyler says. 

"he might get upset. he might think i'm dirty. which i am." phil confides. 

"you're not dirty. and he'll probably want to hug you and then beat up Dan."

"i don't want him to hug me. i don't want anyone to hug me."

"i know."

=====

"is something bothering you?" james asks. phil hadn't spoken the whole time they had been together, which had been an hour. 

"yeah." phil says. 

"do you wanna tell me?"

"no."

"alright."

=====

phil is crying. 

james will be over soon and he'll walk in on phil crying but phil needs to cry. 

he can't keep pushing The Memory to the back of his mind. 

he'll have to tell james why soon enough. 

james pushes open the door to see phil curled up on his bed with his back to the room. 

"phil?" he asks quietly. 

"sorry." phil rolls over and wipes the tears off his face. "i'm not having a Good Day."

"that's okay." james sits on the bed beside him and smiles. 

"okay." phil sits up, pushes The Memory back, and smiles at james.

=====

tyler and phil are sitting together, waiting for james. 

phil had decided to tell james. 

tyler holds his hand for support. 

"i can guess that it'll be hard." he'd told phil.

phil feels like it'll be more than hard. 

james raises an eyebrow at the hand holding (phil hates physical contact), but doesn't ask about it. 

"um, james, I have something to tell you." phil mumbles. 

"yeah?" james sits beside phil. 

"um, um, um..." phil feels anxiety rise in his chest, The Memory was so vivid and he didn't want to remember it. 

"you don't have to." tyler says quietly, squeezing his hand. 

phil takes a deep breath. "something bad happened to me before i met you. and, um, the guy who did it, his name was Dan." phil tries not to flinch at the name, but fails. "and, um, he made me dirty but tyler, tyler found me and helped me and..."

james clenches his hands into fists. "phil..."

"sorry, sorry, i..." phil felt like crying.

"hey, dude, it's okay. i know who you're talking about." james stands up. "and I'm gonna beat the shit out of him."

that makes phil smile.

"told you." tyler says.


End file.
